Sun bleached antler restoration?

[Bühlmann]

Is it possible to restore antler material that has been exposed to the elements for a season or two? Like sheds that have been sun bleached a bit and have that chalky texture. Can that be polished or otherwise restored to a nice barked finish and used for scales, or not worth the time?

 

[Bill DeShivs]

They can be easily dyed with potassium permanganate, then sanded to bring out the high spots.
Some people use leather dyes, but in my experience they penetrate too deeply and the finished antler surface doesn't look real.
Once they are dyed, you can use permanent markers in some of the recesses to make them darker. I then spray them with clear lacquer to seal the color into the recesses before sanding/polishing the high spots back to lighter color.

 

[Bühlmann]

Would you be willing to post a few examples of the finished product?

 

[Bill DeShivs]

I did an entire thread on here with pictures some years back.
I don't have any stag that needs coloring right now.
Suffice to say that much of the colored stag that you buy has already been treated this way.

 

[Horsewright]

Here's a WIP for ya:

Processing Elk Sheds (A WIP)

Often see questions here about different aspects of processing antler into scales for handle use. This is something I do a lot of, so I thought I'd take some pics and show you how i go about it. Here in California a craftsman must use sheds in his work and thats all I use. I'll let the pics...

www.bladeforums.com

No idea what happened to the pics but the text will help ya out.

 

[12345678910]

I did an entire thread on here with pictures some years back.
I don't have any stag that needs colouring right now.
Suffice to say that much of the coloured stag that you buy has already been treated this way.

All the stag imported from India has been dipped in potassium permanganate as a method of disinfection.
It's an import requirement.

 

[godogs57]

White antlers respond well to applications of Briwax as well. It’s a wax based wood dye that comes in many colors. Light brown rubbed in, then the excess buffed off with a shop towel looks great.